Janette Manrara
Janette Manrara '(born November 16, 1983) is an American professional dancer and choreographer, best known as a professional dancer on the BBC One dance series Strictly Come Dancing. Early Life Born in Miami, Florida, Manrara was originally a Salsa dancer, learning from her Cuban family, she formally studied dance from the age of 19. Manrara began performing in musical theatre at age 12, and started her formal dance training at 19, studying ballroom, ballet, pointe, jazz and hip hop. Manrara studied Finane at Florida International University whilst completing her dance training. Career 'So You Think You Can Dance Manrara originally auditioned for the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance, however, failed to make it through to the top 20. She auditioned again in Season 5 and successfully made it through to the top 20 where she was paired with contemporary dancer Brandon Bryant. Like Manrara, Bryant had made it through Las Vegas week during Season 4, only to be cut during the Top 20 selection. During her time on the show, Janette received much praise from the judges; both Mia Michaels and Nigel Lythgoe said that Janette was their favourite female dancer that season, and Lythgoe went on to say he hoped she would win the entire competition. An Argentine Tango she performed with Bryant was the first dance on Season 5 to receive a standing ovation from the judges. However, Manrara was eliminated during Week 7, along with contemporary dancer Jason Glover. 'Other Projects' Following her appearance on So You Think You Can Dance Manrara joined, musical TV series, Glee as a principal dancer. She also made her Burn the Floor - West End debut at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, on July 21, 2012. Additionally, she was part of the Burn the Floor US cast, which toured the United States from late 2010 through May 2011. Personal Life In 2015 Manrara got engaged to long time partner, Strictly Come Dancing and Burn the Floor co-star, Aljaz Skorjanec. They were married on July 15, 2017. Strictly Come Dancing In 2013, Manrara became a professional dancer on British TV show Strictly Come Dancing. Her first celebrity partner in the 11th series was fashion designer Julien Macdonald; they were the third couple to be eliminated. She returned for the 12th series and partnered actor JakeWood, with whom she made it to the Semi-finals and finished in 5th place overall. For the 13th series she was paired with TV personality Peter Andre; they were the 9th couple to be eliminated. As well as her main series appearances Manrara has also taken part in one off specials of the show. In 2013 she performed a Quickstep with actor Ricky Norwood on the Christmas special. In 2014 Manrara scored a maximum of 40 points in "The People's Strictly for Comic Relief" for an American Smooth with, "Kidz R us" founder, Phillip Barnett. Manrara took part in the 2016 Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour with her Series 12 partner Jake Wood. For Series 14, she was partnered with radio DJ Melvin Odoom. They were the first couple to be eliminated after receiving the fewest number of public votes, there was no dance off due to fellow competitor Anastacia's injury. Odoom and Manrara reprised their partnership in the 2016 Christmas special, she also danced with canoeist Joe Clarke in the 2016 Children in Need special. 'Partners' *Julien Macdonald (Series 11) - 13th Place *Jake Wood (Series 12) - 5th Place *Peter Andre (Series 13) - 7th Place *Melvin Odoom (Series 14) - 15h Place 'Couples' *Julien Macdonald and Janette Manrara *Jake Wood and Janette Manrara *Peter Andre and Janette Manrara *Melvin Odoom and Janette Manrara Category:Professional Dancers Category:Female Professional Dancers Category:Series 11 Category:Series 12 Category:Series 13 Category:Series 14